On 19 June 2025, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin and Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt announced that, starting from summer 2025, federal police, local police, and the Immigration Office will collaborate to conduct targeted checks within Belgium. These measures aim to combat irregular migration and secondary movements towards Belgium. Reactions have emerged regarding the capacity required to implement such checks, their actual effectiveness in reducing irregular migration, and whether they can deliver a real deterrent effect or remain largely symbolic.
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On 19 June 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a judgment in response to a request from the Brussels Court of First Instance (French-speaking) regarding appeal procedures following the refusal of student visas. The referral followed concerns raised by Belgian lawyers and the NGO CIRÉ, highlighting that late notification of refusals often prevents students from exercising an effective remedy. The Court clarified that, while no urgent procedure is required, national systems must ensure that visa decisions and related appeals are issued in time for a meaningful judicial review.
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Main Theme: Study § Training
Keywords: student visa, refusal, effective remedy
According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.539 persons obtained Belgian nationality in March 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in March are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan.
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Main Theme: Data & Statistics, Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
Thirty-eight members of a Belgian-Chinese human trafficking network have been formally referred by the Ghent chamber of indictment to the correctional court. They face multiple charges including sexual exploitation, trafficking, pimping, money laundering, and document forgery. The Federal Migration Centre, Myria, has joined the case as a civil party, representing the interests of victims.
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Main Theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: victims of human trafficking, criminal network, sexual exploitation
At their meeting on 13 June 2025, EU Home Affairs Ministers reached a political agreement to extend by one year, until March 2027, the temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine. They also discussed ways to improve readmission cooperation with third countries and endorsed new priorities for the Schengen area.
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Main Theme: Temporary protection, Borders & Visa, Return & Readmission
Keywords: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Ukraine, cooperation, third country, Schengen area
Fedasil has announced a further reduction in the number of reception places for unaccompanied foreign minors (MENA), with 279 places set to be withdrawn from the network by 1 September 2025. The measure, approved in April, comes in response to the continuing decline in arrivals observed since 2023. Most of the places concerned will be converted into generic reception places.
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Main Theme: Reception
Keywords: reception place, unaccompanied foreign minor
As of 1 January 2025, more than one-third of Belgium’s population has a foreign background, according to the latest data from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. While 64% of residents are Belgian with a Belgian background, the remainder includes Belgians with a foreign background and non-Belgians. Regional disparities and changes over the last two decades highlight evolving demographic patterns.
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Main Theme: Data & Statistics, Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: population structure, diversity, Belgian nationality, foreign background, non-Belgian
On 11 June 2025, the European Commission published a report reviewing the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, halfway through its implementation phase, which is expected to be completed by June 2026. The report provides an overview of progress across the main elements of the Common Implementation Plan, while identifying remaining operational and legal challenges. A mid-term review of the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027 was also released.
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Main Theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Keywords: New Pact on Migration and Asylum, implementation, Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion
According to a press release published on 11 June 2025, Statbel reported that 60.108 individuals acquired Belgian nationality in 2024. The five most common previous nationalities among those who became Belgian were Moroccan, Syrian, Romanian, Afghan and Turkish.
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Main Theme: Data & Statistics, Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has released its 2025 Fundamental Rights Report, offering a detailed overview of key developments in the EU’s human rights landscape. Among the areas of concern, the report draws particular attention to migration and asylum at the EU’s external borders, where challenges continue to raise fundamental rights issues.
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On 6 June 2025, the Flemish Government approved a communication advancing the development of pre-arrival integration trajectories for newcomers from their countries of origin. This step follows earlier pilot projects and aims to better prepare family reunification and labour migrants for life in Flanders through a digital societal orientation course.
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Main Theme: Integration
Keywords: integration programme, pre-arrival integration, pre-arrival orientation, pilot project, digital learning, Foreign newcomers
On 5 June 2025, World Environment Day highlights the complex links between climate change and human mobility. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued statements emphasising both the scale of climate-induced displacement and the growing recognition of migrants’ potential contributions to environmental resilience. Discussions on the role of migrants in addressing environmental challenges have become more prominent, i.a. in a recent MPI podcast dedicated to this topic.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: climate change, environmental migration, climate-induced displacement
On 4 June 2025, the European Commission proposed extending temporary protection for displaced persons fleeing the conflict in Ukraine until 4 March 2027. The proposal aims to provide legal certainty to beneficiaries and Member States by maintaining a consistent standard of protection across the European Union. Additionally, the Commission proposed a set of measures to facilitate a coordinated transition out of temporary protection.
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Main Theme: Temporary protection
Keywords: Ukraine, displaced person, beneficiary of temporary protection, legal status, voluntary return, reintegration
On 3 June 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered a judgment clarifying the scope of the offence of facilitation of unauthorised entry into the EU. The Court ruled that a third-country national cannot be criminally penalised for bringing minors under their care into an EU Member State, even if this entry breaches border rules. This decision emphasises the protection of family responsibilities and fundamental rights within EU law.
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In response to a recent call by several European Heads of State to reinterpret the European Convention on Human Rights, six Belgian human rights institutions have voiced strong concerns. They warn that such initiatives risk undermining the authority and independence of the European Court of Human Rights. The institutions urge the Belgian federal government to remain consistent with its international commitments and to clearly reaffirm its support for the Court and the Convention.
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On 27 May 2025, the Belgian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) participated in a capacity-building session on guardianship and the quality of care for asylum-seeking children in the context of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The seminar was organised by the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), in collaboration with OKaJu (Ombudsman for Children in Luxembourg – Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugendlecher) and the Luxembourgish Contact Point to the EMN. The aim of the session was to discuss the impact of the new Pact on children in asylum procedures.
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Backed by Italy and Denmark, a group of nine EU Member States has issued a letter calling for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to facilitate the expulsion of foreign nationals convicted of crimes. While the letter's authors frame it as a call for open discussion, the move has raised concerns over judicial independence and the protection of fundamental rights in Europe.
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On 21 and 22 May 2025, the European Migration Network’s Return Experts Group (EMN REG) convened a two-day workshop, hosted by the Belgian Immigration Office and EMN Belgium. The event brought together 50 participants from EU Member States, EU agencies (including Frontex and the EU Asylum Agency), civil society organisations, and international organisations. The workshop focused on the development and implementation of effective alternatives to detention (ATDs) within the EU’s migration and return systems.
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The European Commission has released new figures revealing a substantial rise in short-stay visa applications to the EU and Schengen-associated countries in 2024. With over 11.7 million applications submitted, the upward trend reflects a continued post-pandemic recovery, although numbers remain below pre-COVID levels. Notably, Bulgaria and Romania began issuing Schengen visas on 31 March 2024, further integrating into the Schengen visa system.
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Main Theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: short stay, visa application, Schengen visa
On 20 May 2025, the European Commission put forward a proposal to revise the rules governing the application of the safe third country concept. The proposal, which inter alia removes the requirement to establish a connection between the applicant and the safe third country, is now subject to approval by the European Parliament and the Council. It has prompted a range of reactions, including expressions of support as well as more critical assessments.
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On 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), the organisation Prisme has disclosed a set of recommendations highlighting the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals seeking international protection in Belgium. These findings point to several shortcomings in the reception and asylum system and outline measures to ensure more inclusive procedures.
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Main Theme: Vulnerable groups, Reception, International Protection
Keywords: LGBTQIA+, applicant for international protection, reception centre, special needs, Training, inclusion
On 13 May 2025, Belgian authorities arrested six individuals in West Flanders as part of a coordinated international operation targeting an organised migrant smuggling network suspected of facilitating the irregular entry of up to 300 non-EU nationals into the European Union. In total, fifteen suspects were apprehended in Belgium, Germany and Poland, in a series of actions supported by Europol and Eurojust and involving close cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities in the participating countries.
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Main Theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: migrant smuggling, smuggling network, joint action day, Europol, Eurojust
According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.922 persons obtained Belgian nationality in February 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in February are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan.
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Main Theme: Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
According to preliminary data published by Frontex, the number of irregular border crossings into the European Union decreased by 27% between January and April 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. Nearly 47.000 crossings were detected during the first four months of 2025.
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On 11-12 May 2025, Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt visited Chisinau to emphasise that asylum applications from Moldovan nationals—coming from a country considered safe—are processed through an accelerated procedure in Belgium. She also announced the immediate discontinuation of the return incentive, which is seen as encouraging misuse of the asylum system.